Crisis Response Canines: Health and Wellness for Critical Care Professionals

Concurrent Session Moderator(s)

• 

  Frank O'Connell, MD, FACP, FCCP

  Staff Anesthesiologist
  AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center
  Yardley, Pennsylvania
• 

  Marilyn Bulloch, PharmD, BCPS, SPP (she/her/hers)

  Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Strategic Operations
  Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy
  Kimberly, Alabama

Critical care professionals are subjected to unrelenting job-related stressors that have negative impacts on physical and mental health. These stressors often manifest in increased risk for mental health morbidities, including depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. There continues to be a call to address the unmet needs of critical care professionals' well-being and resilience. Speakers will share a unique intervention model that has been developed over decades and that integrates the concepts of animal-assisted intervention, animal-assisted crisis response, and critical incident stress management into a healing modality. Factors contributing to stress and burnout will be reviewed. Speakers will discuss how the model was initially designed for first responders and how, when it was proven effective, it was expanded to address the needs of other healthcare professionals. Axel, the American Kennel Club’s 2022 top therapy dog will be present and will demonstrate the positive impact of the model for providing decompression, respite, and healing and building resilience for healthcare professionals.

Presentations:

• Integrating the Concepts of Animal-Assisted Intervention, Animal-Assisted Crisis Response, and Critical Incident Stress Management Into a Healing Modality
• Stress and Burnout Factors in Healthcare